Focus on education not religion, say protesters<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
About 2,000 teachers from Concerned People for National Education
\n(MPPN) rallied outside the House of Representatives on Tuesday to
\nurge legislators debating the education bill to focus on
\nimproving the education system, not religion.<\/p>\n
"Education laws should support the national mission, which is
\nto educate people as stipulated in the preamble of the 1945
\nConstitution," said protester B.N. Marbun, a former member of the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights. "But instead, the bill
\nfocuses more on faiths."<\/p>\n
MPPN spokesperson FX Harbelubun said religion was a private
\nmatter, which the state should not interfere with.<\/p>\n
A bone of contention is Article 13 of the bill, which
\nstipulates that religious classes must be taught by teachers with
\nthe same faith as the students. The article would mean Christian
\nschools with some Muslim students would have to provide Muslim
\nteachers for religious studies.<\/p>\n
The bill, scheduled to be passed on May 2, has sparked
\nprotests from organizations such as the National Catholic
\nEducation Council, the Christian Education Council and the Plural
\nSociety Group.<\/p>\n
House Speaker Akbar Tanjung welcomed the protesters -- mostly
\nfrom Catholic and Christian education institutions -- in front of
\nthe House. He told them the schedule for passing the bill was
\nflexible.<\/p>\n
Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar concurred,
\ntelling The Jakarta Post that, "I think the schedule is flexible
\nand we are still accepting submissions from the public. But I
\nthink the bill has included input from the public."<\/p>\n
The working committee is scheduled to convene to discuss the
\nbill on March 20.<\/p>\n
Working committee head Anwar Arifin told the Post that it
\nwould focus on synchronizing the draft bill formulated by the
\nHouse and the response from the government. "But we will also
\ndiscuss the recent protests."<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Mochtar Buchori, an education expert who is also a
\nmember of House Commission VI for education, told the Post that
\nthe national education system should focus more on education
\nrather than strengthening beliefs.<\/p>\n
"Families should be the first institutions that forge
\nchildren's faiths," he said. "However, at present, formal schools
\ngive religious lessons that do not touch on the essence of
\nbeliefs."<\/p>\n
He said schools should give students the opportunity to learn
\nvalues in every lesson.<\/p>\n
"What is happening now in the education system is the
\naccumulation of meaningless knowledge," he said. "And the
\neducation bill will not improve the system."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/focus-on-education-not-religion-say-protesters-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}